Process of and apparatus for lining pneumatic tires.



W. BAIRD.

'PROOESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR LINING PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLICATION 311.111) DEO.1, 1909.

951,980. Patented Mar.15,1910.

WALTER BAKED, F PITTSBURG, at.

rnocussor .ann APPARATUS Iron LINING 'rn'ncnnrrc time.

"Specification of letters Patent. M

.A'on'lication filed December 1, 909. seal no. 530,770.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER BAIBn,'citiZen of the United States, residingat Pittsburg, Kansas, have invented certain-new and useful ImprovementsinProcesses of and Appa-' ratus for Lining Pneumatic Tires andl do hereby declare the following torbe. a full,

clear, and exact description, of the invention, 7

such as will enable othersskilled in the art towhichut appertains to make and use the same.-

. This invention. relatesto. the art of lining pneumatic tires,'and, in particular, to lining communicate with the interior cf the tire, on

forms a viscous or slow drylng coating which I such tires with what is known as self-healing material or compounds, that is to say, elastic or other compounds which have the property of preventing the formation of punctures in pneumatic tires for automobiles or bicycles or, in case such punctures are formed during the use of the vehicle, of automatically closing the same and thereby healing the tire;

These compounds may be in the formof a I mixture which, after the sameis applied to the interior of the tire in a liquid'form, either solidifies to form an elastic armor preventing the formation of punctures which when a puncture'is formed is forced into the same by'the pressure within the tire'and then dries by contact with the. outer air,

' thereby plugging the puncture.

' The object of the present invention is to provide a method and means whereby such puncture proofing or I self-healing com- ;'pounds, or, generally, lining mixtures, may

tie-applied evenly to that part of the interior of the the or inner tube forming part of such tire which is apt to be punctured and therefore needs protection.-

.Heretofore, according to one method of proceeding, s'uchitire lining compounds have been introduced in a liquid form int the tire or inner tube, the said tire being then rotated in order to throw the self-healing composition against the inner portion of the outer periphery of the tire or inner tube, where it is intendedto adhere either as a solid or as a semi-liquid or viscous coating. This method of applying the lining compound has the objection that the compound. is very unevenly applied to the inner surface of the tire or inner tube, being very much thicker at the extreme periphery of the. tire than at those portions which are nearer the center or axis-of the tire when mounted on 1 the wheel. Moreover, under the'old ath-j, Ode of proceeding, the composition does not extend far enough toward the axis of the tire and the said compositionis liable to be-f come. so thick near the outer-portion as; to

unnecessarily encumber the interior of the said tire.

These objections are remoyedg'in. proceeding under my inventionwhich consists in flattening the tire or inner tube to be treated after the same has been inflated and-the compositionnhas been injected therein, and

then rapidly revolving said tire.

My invention also consists in a; rotary drum upon v-wnich the tire is mounted for the purpose of'lining the same, said drum being combined with hoops 01' bands be'- tween which and the drum the tire is held a way as to be flattened while being in such rotated.

. -My invention also consists in such further features, arrangements and combinations of partsaswill be hereinafter describedand pointed in the claims.

.Inthe-accompanymg drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal central section of shaft. As shown, the drum A is provided' with two annular grooves b, b, for receiving the tires or inner tubes B, B. The two rims or bands O, C, having a cross section similar to the cross section of thegrooves Z), I), are

arrangedconcentrically with respect to said grooves, as shown. The position of the hoops or hands C with respect to the grooves b and the form in cross section of these hoops and grooves Z) are such as to flatten the tires or inner tubes B into an elliptical form as shown, when said tubes are inflated and mounted-upon the drum and are held between the hoops C and-the grooves b of the said drum. The periphery of the drum A can be made of ordinary galvanized iron or sheet steel upon which the grooves. b can be very readily formed by well known methods. The hoops or hands C can also be very readily made of galvanized iron or sheet steel and arched transversely as shown :in a manner well known in the manufacture of sheet iron and steelmaterial. -As shown 1n Fig. 1, the hoops O are held jupon thedrum. by arms or brackets-c, which areclamped at the Outer edges of the drumby jthe--clamps-.D, each cons1stingof'a' clampawd hinged to the said outer edge and eld down upon the lower lip c of the arm 501' bracket .0 by means ofthe'screw-boltd I 10 readily understood.- These clamps are ar' ranged atregula'r intervals on the edge of and thumb-nut d in a manner which will the drum and in the present instance, I'have shown them as ..arranged at 90 apart-that 1s, founot such clamps occupying each edge of the drum.- This, manner ofisecuring the. bands C iniposition is provided for-holding hoops C are simply placed .over the tire or inner tube Bloosely, the said bands Ci being held in place by the tire in a manner .which will be readily understood. -Under this con- ".struction the security against lateral: disclent 1n many ca In some cases I may dispense with the placement is not so greatasin the device illustrated in Fig. 1.- However, this man nerofarranging Jhe apparatus will be'sufii- 'groovesb and simply flatten the tire between a cylindrical surface of afrotary drum as erwheel A" and a flat cylindrical hoop C.

' --This construction, is illustrated in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 also differs from thetpreceding figures in that the same is arranged to receiv onlya sin le are or inner tube. a 40' so described is obvious from the foregoing.

' The mode of operation of the. apparatus The elastic tire or inner tube to-be lined is placedupon the drum A, as shown,'so as to occupy one of the grooves b, .as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and the self-healing or other lining "composition is introduced into the interior of said tire or inner tube through the valve stem 7) or otherwise. The tire or inner tube is then inflated .sufliciently to I exterior and the hoops C are then placed in position over the tire or inner tube, the sald present no" wrinkles or concavities on the inner tube yielding sufliciently to allow the "hoop to pass into -proper position, but after Figs. 1 to introduced and the tire inflated before mounting the same on the dru m,since the tire will in most cases be sufficiently elastic to yield to the necessary extent for this purpose. A It 'is not absolutely necessary to fully inflate the tire for the reason that the pressure within the same will increase as the 5 same is flattened. The hoop or band may then. be further secured in position by the brackets c, and clamps D, as shown in Fig. 1, or the resistance of the tire may be relled-upon to hold the said bandin position asin Fig.3. The drum A is then rapidly revolved, whereby the liquid lining composi-- 7 tion isthrown t0 the outer portions of the inner-periphery of the tire or inner tube so as to l1n e said outer ortion and to protect {said outer portion which is the part ofthe tire liable. to be punctured or pierced, thereby protecting itagainst such action.

In Fig. 5 I have shown diagrammatically the effect of this treatmentv on the tire; In this figure the portion e represents "the. coating ofself-healing or othercompositionwhich has been applied to the insideof the tire or innerftube B when the tire was in itsflattened position. I U Fig. 7 represents the same tire or inner tube after the same has been released .from its position between the drum A- and the hoops O and has returned'to'its original circular cross section.- v 4 Fig. 6 shows a similar view of a tire or rim which has been lined without flatten:

ing the same as under my invention. A

comparison of this figure with Fig. .7 willshow the advantages of my method and apparatus over those heretofore employed, ,these advantages being mainly the more even distribution .of the lining material and the greater amount of surface covered with .the same amount of material. From a comparison of these twofigures'it will be apparent moreover, that under the present invention the interior of the tire or inner tube is encumbered to a minimum extent and is left more pliable than if the tire or inner tube were not flattened prior to rotating the same. i

. The cross section'of the grooves I) and of the hoops Cl, as represented in Figs. 1 and-3., is in the form of a flattened are, that is to say, either an arc of an ellipse taken at the point where its radius of curvature is radius than the radius of the circular cross, section of the tire when in its normal unflattened condition. The first mentioned vform of cross-section of thegrooves and hoopsis the one preferred since it produces a more even distribution of the lining composition.

In some cases I 'I'nay use the vehiclewherel which carries the tire as the rotary. support for the same in carrying out my invention, the tire being inflated only sufliciently to. maintain the same distended, a hoop of suflicient diameter, as inv Figs. 1 to 4,-is then passed over the tire, seas .to flatten the same against the wheel rim, that is to say, to

greatest, or anarc of a circle having a greater tire or tube in clrcular form'while revolving maintain its-.cros's-section as shown insaid been inflated, and then revolving said tire or tube; 1 I The process of lining a pneumatic tire or tube,- which-consists in introducing the --j lining composition within said tire'or-tube an'dinflating the same, and maintaining said and-maintaining it flattenedin cross section. =4. The process of lining a pneumatic tire- X or tube,- whichconsists in introducing the linin composition within said tire or tube wand. inflatingthe same, mounting said tire {or-tube on a drumyfiattening'the same, andthen revolving the drum.

tires or tubes, which consists in 'arotary support for the tire; in combination with means for maintaining the tire in aflattened condition on the rotary support.

- 6. An apparz us,-

Jbeen introducedtherein and the same has 1 5' 5; An' apparatus for 'lining. pneumatic signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

for lining pneumatictires or tubes, which consists in a rotary drum; in combination with a hoop greater in diameter than the exterior periphery of the drum, and adapted to flatten thetire-or tube upon the said drum.-

7. An apparatus for lining pneumatic tires or tubes, which consists in .a rotary drum-," in combination with a hoop greater in diameter than the exterior periphery of the drum, and adapted. to flatten. the tire ortube upon the said drum, and means for securing saidhoop against lateral displacement. 4

8. An apparatus for lining pneumatic tires or tubes, which consists in a rotary drum, 1n combination w th ,a hoop greater in diameter than the exteriorperiphery of the' drum, andadapted Ito flatten the tire or tube upon the said drum, and a clamp for securing said hoop on said drum.

9. An apparatus for lining pneumatic tires or tubes, which consists of a rotarydrum having an annular peripheral groove therein tor receiving the tire or rim, in combination with a transversely curved hoop. or band, the hoop or band and the grooved drum being adapted to hold and flatten the, tire. or tube between them. 1

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my WALTER B'AIRD. v

.Witnesse's:

E. O. HILDEBRAND, HAnn'Y F.RUETH, 

